Qualities of a Customer Success Manager

In the SaaS space Customer Success Managers (CSM) are an integral part of the business. Where customer retention and ultimately growth is critical to the business, it’s silly not to have a CSM. But, what makes a great CSM?

1. Product & Industry Knowledge

It is imperative that a CSM is knowledgeable not only on the product / platform but also the industry as a whole. What are the pain points of the customers on a grander scale and how can you help them to overcome them. If your business / product isn’t in that space, it’s good to discuss other businesses / partners that they may want to investigate. Be the friendly face rather than somebody who solely wants to talk about renewal and growth.

By being at the forefront of the domain the CSM is perfectly positioned to be pro-active, rather than re-active, no matter what comes their way. This scrappy, inquisitive attitude is critical. Somebody who delves below the surface of the problem or query and isn't afraid to question colleagues & peers within the business.

2. Analytical

An analytical mind is essential. The telemetry data collected by the business which serves the businesses needs will be the heart beat of the customer, and indirectly the business.

CSM’s should be capable of handling significant amounts of data both from internal systems and external third party systems, connecting them where possible to provide the biggest, most colourful picture possible.

Being at ease with tools and services that allow you to stitch and analyse data is the biggest stepping stone a CSM can have. Essentially, that data is the edge over your competition for existing and new customers. Being able to extract insights from the data and work with the product & marketing teams to strike the right note is priceless.

3. Out-of-the-box thinking

Whilst CSM’s are not responsible for customer support per-se… they are responsible for solving a never ending amount of challenges / questions posed by customers. Having the ability to think outside of the box about how to increase satisfaction and subsequently reduce churn is a major facet to any CSM’s toolkit.

In summary, there is no defacto set of skills for a CSM. It ultimately comes down to the business, and the respective customer.